The AKP's Syria Policy and the Emergence of Competitive Authoritarianism in Turkey

Abstract

The turbulence of Turkish domestic politics in 2015–16 coincided with the unraveling of the government’s hyperactive policy in Syria and the expansion of Kurdish forces there under the People’s Defense Units (YPG). This article argues that, since 2016, Turkey’s Syria policy has been transformed into an infinite war against the YPG. This perpetual militarization has created an environment where Turkish domestic politics can be restructured in the name of national security, maximizing presidential power and accelerating the country’s slide toward competitive authoritarianism. This process has also reshaped the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has shifted further toward nationalism and entered into a symbiotic relationship with the military.